


Warriors Reimagined: Into the Wild

by MageWolf



Series: Warriors Imagined [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Gore, BloodClan (Warriors), Childhood Friends, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), StarClan (Warriors), ThunderClan (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26052775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageWolf/pseuds/MageWolf
Summary: On the run from BloodClan, a street cat named Rusty joins one of the fabled clans in the woods. However, danger lurks in the shadows as ShadowClan's new leader grows more power hungry every day, and a possible coup threatens to tear ThunderClan apart from the inside. However, there is hope, and it lies within the newest member of ThunderClan...
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: Warriors Imagined [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891225
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter One- New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Rewriting warriors Reimagined because I was unsatisfied with it and lost the will to write it. So, here you go!

ThunderClan

Leader : Bluestar \- Tall, blue gray molly with dark green eyes and a scar on her shoulder

Deputy : Redtail \- Small white tom with ginger ears and tail

Medicine cat :  Spottedleaf \- Petite calcio molly with amber eyes

Warriors: Speckelt il \-  Cream colored molly with dark brown spots, pale blue eyes 

Sparrowpelt \- Brown tabby tom with a bitten off tail, amber eyes

L ionheart \- Large golden tom with a fluffy neck and tail, green eyes

Goldenflower \-  Golden colored molly with darker spots and blue eyes

Tigerclaw \- Large dark brown tabby tom with pale amber eyes

Darkstripe \- Dark gray tom with black tabby markings and yellow eyes

Mousefur \- Pale brown molly with dark amber eyes

Hunters : Whiteeye \- Pale gray molly with one amber eye, other eye missing

Robinwing \- Dark brown molly with a white chest and paws and dark green eyes

Whitestorm- White tom with silvery patches and yellow eyes

Spider whisker \- Tall black tom with a lighter belly and yellow eyes

Willowpelt \- Large dilute calico molly with dark green eyes

Scouts : Thrushpelt \- Pale brown tabby tom with a lighter underside

Petalflight \- Golden molly with dark amber eyes

Rookgaze \- Large black tom with hazel eye s

Runningpath \- Pale brown tabby tom with green eyes

Hailstorm- Pale gray speckled tom with brown eyes

Ryefur \- Pale brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Jobless: Longtail- Lanky lilac tabby tom with pale green eyes

Apprentices: Sandpaw \- Creamy molly with white paws and chest and green eyes

Dustpaw \- Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Ravenpaw - Black tom with a white chest

Graypaw \- Gray tabby tom with darker stripes and yellow eyes

Rusty- Ginger tabby tom with a lighter chest and dark green eyes

Parents : Rosetail \- Ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes,  raising  Snowkit and  Cinderkit

Frostfoot \- Black molly with white paws and pale yellow eyes, raising  B ri ghtkit ,  Brackenkit , and  Brushkit

Kits: Cinderkit \- Pale gray molly with blue eyes (Real parents unknown, raised by Rosetail)

Snowkit \- Albino tom with blue eyes, deaf (Real parents unknown, raised by R osetail )

Brightkit \- Calico molly with green eyes

Brackenkit- Ginger tabby tom with white paws and green eyes

Brushkit- Golden tabby tom with yellow eyes

Elders: Smal lstorm \- Pale gray tom with small ears

Patchpelt \- Black and white tom with dark green eyes

Dappletail \- Faded calico molly with dark blue eyes

* * *

It was a quiet night in the city. The streetlight lit the asphalt and concrete jungle unnaturally, blocking the moon and the stars from sight. The cars lay still, their owners in their houses sleeping. In the darkness, however, small creatures scuttled about.

A mouse scurried across the putrid, gasoline scented road, looking back and forth between each step on thew grimy, hardened tar. It could tell something was prowling, but it couldn't tell where or how close. This was it's mistake, as a small ginger kitten was sneaking behind it, pawsteps careful and measured

The mouse's short life ended as the cat leaped forward, snapping it's neck in a quick, clean manner. The orange tom cat instantly took off in the direction of a half circle of silver trash cans. He skidded to a halt in front of them and wove between the cold metal, where another cat was resting.

The tom nudged him with a paw, and while the other black and white cat protested with a grumble, he perked up when he scented the rodent clamped between his friend's jaws. The tom licked his chops as he sat up, parting his jaws with a loud yawn. The orange tabby tom set down the mouse gently and nudged it forward with his paw, smiling tiredly at his friend.

"Here you go, Smudge. It's not much, but I smelled BloodClan. Pretty faint scent, but I didn't wanna risk it.". He sat down and, with a heavy sigh, started to groom his ragged fur. It tasted like dirt and city grime, but it was better to get it over with than ignore it. He looked over at Smudge, who was rapidly devouring the mouse, spitting bones out. The splotched tom paused for a second, a look of concern clouding his eyes, before he craned his head to the ginger tabby tom.

"Hey, Rusty, did you eat or not? I don't want to leave you starving." He worried his lower lip as he spoke. Rusty nodded.

"I caught a vole out there before catching the mouse. I want you to finish it." Rusty responded. Although that vole was hours ago and his stomach rumbled with hunger, but he didn't let that stop him. Smudge's eyes fell back onto his prey and quickly went back to eating. Rusty snickered at how messy Smudge was eating, chewed up meat spilling from the side of his mouth and odd grunts and groans coming from his mouth. As soon as Smudge was done, he shot a glare at the still laughing Rusty.

"Hey, it's not my fault I haven't eaten in a day." He grumbled, although it was only half hearted.

Rusty crouched down next to Smudge and replied, "Well, we are cats, not dogs. You could be a little quieter."

Smudge sighed, his head tilted down. His tail swished and curled rapidly in anxiety.

"Yeah, you're right. If a BloodClan cat found us...". Smudge didn't dare finished the sentence, leaving it hanging in the air as he shivered. Rusty pressed up against his friend and licked his flea ridden ear.

"Hey, Smudge, I was just kidding. I'm sure they'll never find us if we keep moving." Rusty whispered. Smudge looked at him with despair in his eyes.

"But what if they do? What if... what if they kill you?" The black and white tom fretted. He laid his head down on Rusty's paws and started to shake. Rusty bumped his forehead against Smudge's neck.

"If they tried, I'd give them a fight they'd remember!" Rusty chuckled bitterly. Truly, the idea of having to fight against Scourge and his cronies scared him shitless, but he knew he would keep his promise.

"Remember when Scourge killed that Violet kid?" Smudge murmured sleepily. Rusty felt a sinking feeling in his stomach at the memory.

"Y-yeah. I remember. Didn't she... didn't her stomach get torn open?" He said quietly, shivering. Smudge grunted in affirmation.

The pair talked in hushed whispers until they fell asleep.

* * *

"'Ey, you two, get up! We have some words you..."

Smudge and Rusty jumped to their feet at the command, although Rusty took a little longer than his friend. Smudge's eyes widened in horror, ears flattened against his skull, while Rusty groggily glanced at his best friend.

"Wha...?"

Smudge murmured in a quiet voice, never taking his eyes off of the entrance to their makeshift den, "Bone. H-he's outside."

Rusty took a moment to process those words, but once he did, his face fell and his ears drooped. Bone, Scourge's top guard, had found them, just as they had feared. However, they crawled out of the den, fearing the consequences of not doing so. The large white tom smirked as soon as he spotted the two kittens.

"Well look what we have here boys, my two favorite nuisances in the flesh! We've been looking for you two for months, y'know." He chuckled loftily. The pair of kittens then noticed that Bone had brought at least five other cats with him, all blocking any escape routes as they slowly circled. Rusty and Smudge lowered their heads.

"We know, Bone." Rusty said in what he hoped was a measured voice. Bone raised a thick brow, his smirk disappearing.

"Well, ya should know, Rusty. Scourge has been so very worried for his half brother!" Bone huffed. His claws suddenly unsheathed, eyes narrowed into slits and an awful sneer growing on his face.

"However, your little... excursion... has caused BloodClan a lot of strife." Bone growled. He stepped forward as Bone's cronies circled tighter around the pair of kittens. "We lost a patrol to the junkyard dogs looking for you two. Scourge was very unhappy with these results."

Rusty and Smudge shook. When Scourge was mad, things never ended up being pretty.

"He told me to kill you two as soon as my patrol spotted ya." Bone lowered his head to the two's eye level, a snarl lifting his lips. Rusty and Smudge shot each other frightened looks. They were going to die, just like they feared.

"C-can't you just take up to S-Scourge? He's been looking for us, h-hasn't he?" Smudge stuttered. Rusty pressed up against his friend in support. Bone raised a brow, chuckled lightly.

"I could, but that would be disobeying direct orders." Bone replied smoothly. He jerked a paw to rusty, claws unsheathed. "Let's just get this over with, boys..."

Bone suddenly launched himself at Rusty, swiftly bowling the skinny tom over with his huge frame. Rusty gasped as Bone's weight crashed into him, winding the tom kitten. He barely has any time to orient himself before Bone smashed his head into the ground, claws raking against his skin and leaving angry, oozing marks behind. Rusty felt his head ringing, his mind buzzing with pain.

Was he going to die like this? A pitiful, forgotten alley cat killed at the paws of a tom ten times stronger than him?

"Let go of him!" A cat suddenly screeched, and in the back of his mind, Rusty duly noted that the voice belonged to Smudge.

Smudge leaped into the air, slicing his claws against Bone's thick muzzle. He landed to Bone's left, skidding to a halt. The older tom yowled in pain and briefly pawed at his muzzle, before whipping around to face the tom kit. His eyes looked like two narrowed chips of raging fire in the early morning light.

"Yer gonna get it today, kit!" He snarled, and then launched into Rusty's best friend, knocking his into a wall. Smudge cried out, but was suddenly muffled when Bone placed a large paw on his jaw. Smudge weakly struggled against the tom cat's firm hold. The larger tom cat gripped Smudge's windpipe firmly between his teeth, and then jerked his head upwards.

The blood and bits of flesh gashed from the red, angry wound, and Smudge let out one last gurgled cry before the light faded from his eyes.

Rusty's world suddenly went to a standstill. Right there, right in front of his eyes, was his dead friend, throat torn open and a puddle of blood staining his fur.

His heart sped up, everything else becoming numb around him.

Smudge is dead

Smudge. is. dead...

Without thinking, Rusty lifted himself to his paws, and s,haking all the way, ran the opposite direction. He ran as fast as his gangly legs could carry him, barely hearing Bone calling for his cronies to get him. Barely hearing anything around him, in fact. His whole being felt numb, with only one goal: Run away.

He could, however, hear their pawsteps thundering behind him. This made him keep going, despite his body crying out in protest. It wanted to rest, to lay down, to collapse, but he knew he would die if he did. So despite the ache creeping into his legs, he pushed himself forward further and further.

He was leaping over boxes, dodging trash bins and the occasional car, and ducking into alleyways and random streets in an effort to ditch the BloodClan cats. But he could still hear their pawsteps pounding into the hard pavement, closer and closer and closer...

Soon, he reached the kittypet neighborhoods. Without thinking, he bolted into the yards to get the patrol off his trail, but they kept after him. Soon, the running tom kit found himself at the foot of a fence. The fence that guarded the city from the woods outside.

Rusty's heart sank. He knew all too well the stories that were passed amongst the city cats and kittypets of the savage forest cats, who would drink the blood of kittens and line their nests with fox fur. But he also knew that no one knew for sure if there were cats in there, and if the stories were true, even BloodClan wouldn't be crazy enough to mess with them.

To Rusty, who heard the BloodClannners gaining on him, the choice was leap or die.

And so, he jumped onto the fence and then down, picking up the pace once more to fully lose the patrol. He faintly heard as he bolted away "Ah, he's as good as dead there with them forest savages anyways." and the cats retreating, but he kept running until he collapsed from exhaustion.

"Smudge... oh spirits, why wasn't I faster...?" Rusty mumbled before he blacked out.

* * *

"Rah! Take that, trespasser!"

Rusty was jolted awake when a plump kitten rammed headfirst into his side, catching the young tom off guard. Panicking as the events of last night flashed in his brain, he flailing his unsheathed claws around, landing a few blows on the attacker's face and back. Yowling, the tom kitten yowled and stumbled off of him. In an instant, Rusty leapt to his feet and snarled, determined to show he wasn't to be messed with. The ginger tom saw that his attacker was a fluffy, gray tom cat with seemed to be around his age, judging by the kitten fluff around his ears and smaller size.

"Graypaw, stop!" Another called out from the bushes behind them. Three cats ran out, a golden tom cat glaring at the kitten. The kitten, Graypaw, gasped in delight.

"Lionheart, Bluestar! Did you see that?" He crowed, jumping around in excitement, "I scared him shitless, that's for sure!"

"Well, not only would you have scared off the prey around here because of your yowling, but this cat is clearly exhausted and hurt! What were you thinking?! Or did you just run blindly into the fight?" The golden tabby tom snapped. Graypaw lowered himself to the ground, suddenly sheepish as he cast a glance at Rusty.

"Sorry, Lionheart..." He mumbled. One of the other cats, a tall, sleek gray molly with a scar running down her shoulder, turned to the gray kitten, who flattened himself around the ground even more.

"While I do appreciate your ardor in defending our territory, Graypaw, if you were to attack a cat who was a real threat like that, they would have heard your battle cry before you would have pounced on them. Besides,". The gray molly flicked a tail in Rusty's direction before speaking once more: "This kitten was sleeping and clearly injured. It wouldn't be a fair fight anyways."

Graypaw winced as the guilt clearly washed over him. He mumbled once more, "S-sorry Bluestar..."

Rusty snorted. Good, he deserved that for pouncing on him. However, Bluestar suddenly turned around to face him, a disapproving look on her face.

"And you. What exactly are you doing here? I can smell the city's stench on you. Hopefully you aren't here to steal prey." Bluestar growled threateningly. A wave of fear washed over Rusty, and his legs shook uncontrollably. He was going to die.

"I-"

He started to breath heavily, but before they could have the slightest chance to attack him, he started to explain.

"I-I'm sorry!" He cried, tears already forming. He couldn't die, not here and not now. Maybe it was cowardice, or maybe a survival instinct, but he couldn't bring himself to join Smudge. "I just-I just was ru-running from BloodClan! They're a real nasty alley cat gang that r-rule the entire city with an i-iron paw! I was just- they killed my best friend, Sm-Smudge, and they were g-g-gonna kill me too! P-please don't kill me, I wasn't trying to steal prey, I swear!"

Rusty felt dizzy, but he stood his ground, trying to show he wasn't ready to die. He cast his gaze on the grass below him once the gazes of the cats became too much for him. There were murmurings beside him from Lionheart and Bluestar, but he felt too sick to his stomach to listen. Suddenly, a fourth voice spoke, snapping him out of his panic induced trance.

"Bluestar, I don't want to leave this kit alone in the woods. Besides, he looks apprentice aged. Weren't we looking for a outsider like that?" The fourth cat, a pale brown molly with a striped tail and face, countered. Lionheart shot her a glare.

"Mousefur, you know better than to interrupt your leader." He scolded as if she was a kit, "Besides, this kitten is scrawny, probably weak, and clearly traumatized. We don't want to take on more than we can handle! We're just on the cusp of spring for StarClan's sake!"

"Hey, I'd argue about the weak point!" Graypaw suddenly chimed in, "He gave me a pretty good nick in the ear!"

Lionheart shot a disapproving look at Graypaw, to which he promptly muttered an apology.

Bluestar raised her tail, making the arguing cats shut their mouths

"Everyone, quiet down." She commanded in a smooth voice, "I'd like to ask the kit a few questions.". She then turned to Rusty, who gulped but otherwise stood as still as a statue.

"What's your name, kit?" Bluestar inquired.

Rusty mumbled, "R-Rusty, ma'am."

"Rusty..." Bluestar trailed off, letting his name hang in the air for a while, before she raised a brow and asked her next question: "So, Rusty, how much do you know about the forest clans?"

"The... what?"

"I thought that would be your answer." Bluestar sighed, slumping her shoulders in disappointment. However, she straightened up and started to explain:

"I don't know quite what those city cats have told you, but it probably nothing like how we actually operate. There are four separate clans, and while we acknowledge our difference and similarities, we try to get along. For the most part, at least. In our clan, ThunderClan, we work as a team, and while we have our arguments and disagreements between clanmates, we work to hunt for and defend each other to the bitter end. We all live in a camp together, which help reinforce our bonds. I am the leader of this clan, and while I've seen many times of suffering within my reign, we have never seen such high numbers of apprentices and kits dying from sickness and starvation. So, we're been looking for outside help."

Bluestar left a pause for dramatic effect, and when Rusty inquired as to what she was implying, Bluestar asked simply, "Rusty, will all this information presented as to how we actually work, would you like to join our clan?"

Rusty gaped at the offer. Him? In a clan that worked like this? He blinked, craning his head to stare directly in the leader's blue eyes.

"M-me? I-I mean-" Rusty realized that his first word may have come across as pretentious and attempted to backtrack, "It's an honor, ma'am, but... why me?"

"Because no one else seems to have shown up on our borders like you have, apparently." Lionheart grumbled, before turning to Bluestar and meowing, "Blue, are you sure this is a good idea? We're only on the brink of spring, and Spottedleaf is still rebuilding her herb storage. Should we really use up all our resources on a scared kit?"

"I'm afraid I won't take back my offer unless he declines, Lionheart." Bluestar asserted firmly but gently, before truing back to Rusty. Her gaze was imploring, and being alone in the woods sounded scarier than what Bluestar described...

"I'll join." Rusty finally said, much to Bluestar and Mousefur's delight, and Lionheart's begrudging respect.

"Well then, follow us as we head back to camp. And do try to keep up."

With that, the cats dove into the bushes, and all Rusty could do was run after them.

To his own credit, running from BloodClan for the past three moons had built his stamina, but he would usually also be looking for places to hide as well, and wouldn't be running for long. However, the ThunderClan cats ran for what felt like years, and all Rusty could see of them was the tails as they leaped over logs, ducked beneath branches and larges plants, and zig-zagged between trees. If not for moons of running from BloodClan, even if it was in short periods, Rusty probably would have lost them completely.

Finally, they skidded to a halt right in front of a broken ring of tall gorse bushes mixed with thorny brambles. Rusty wanted to rest, but was given a quick kick in the side by Mousefur when he tried. He huffed in frustration, but otherwise protest and stood. Bluestar turned to the patrol.

"Rusty, this is our camp. It's well protected by the gorse and bramble wall you see here. You're about to meet the rest of the clan. Try not to let their stares get to you." Bluestar explained. At Rusty's confused look, she said, "Some cats will judgemental, but I can assure you that if you prove yourself, they'll leave you alone."

"Greaaat. Uh, will they attack me?" Rusty inquired nervously. The cats blinked in surprised.

"StarClan, no!" Graypaw gasped, eyes wide, "We may live in the forest, but it's against our rules to attack clanmates!". Rusty breathed a sigh of relief.

"With that, we should enter. The cats have likely scented us waiting outside." Bluestar meowed. At those words, the patrol and Rusty entered the narrow tunnel of brambles. Each thorn struck worry into Rusty's heart, but he knew it was far too late to back out now.

On the other side, Rusty was greatly surprised when faced with a shallow gorge, one with many caves carved into the orange rock. Cats were bustling, moving from den to den, from one spot to another. One thing that Rusty couldn't help but notice was that while many bore scars and thin, they seemed healthy otherwise and had well groomed fur. Nothing like the mangy, skinny street cats in the city. Already Rusty liked this place.

"Lionheart, guide Rusty to the Highrock. I'll announce a clan meeting" Bluestar meowed suddenly, breaking Rusty from his amazement. She padded away to a wide, tall rock in the center of camp with a small cave covered by lichen at the base. The gray molly easily jumped from pawhold to pawhold until she reached the top and yowled for the clan to gather.

"That's our cue." Lionheart said gruffly, nudging Rusty forward with a paw. The ginger tom kitten squeaked in surprise, but followed the regal golden tom nonetheless. They padded into the murmuring crowd, which quickly grew silent as Lionheart shoved his way through with a ginger kitten trailing behind him. Most cats wore looks of confusion or disgust, and while it made Rusty cringe in fear a little, he recalled Bluestar and Mousefur's words, which gave him confidence. He held he head high and followed Lionheart as the crowd made a circle towards the base of the rock. Bluestar cleared he throat and Lionheart told Rusty to sit while he merged into the crowd.

"Cats of ThunderClan, I'm sure you all have noticed the new cat as my patrol walked into camp." She began, "I know you all are confused. This,". She gestured to the ginger tom kitten with her tail, "Is Rusty. He was unconscious at the border, but he doesn't appear to be injured beyond a couple scratches a bite mark on his scruff. He told my patrol that he was running from a street cat gang, and had no intentions of stealing our prey. Now, I know for a fact that you're all aware of the deaths of many kits and apprentices this last winter, and with ShadowClan growing in numbers and battle hunger, and RiverClan becoming more territorial, I made a needed choice."

Bluestar faced her clan with a neutral gaze as they looked on in confusion. She continued:

"I have offered Rusty a place in our clan, and he agreed to join. He'll need treatment from Spottedleaf, but will begin his training tomorrow."

The volume or the crowd went from silent to yowling and crying out in protest, disgust, and worry within a second. Rusty flattened his ears and furrowed his brows. What did these cats have against street cats like him?

"Bluestar!" A pale, lilac colored tom yowled from the crowd, "You can't be serious! This is a city cat, for StarClan's sake! What if they're a spy?!"

Rusty growled lowly in protested, and was given a smug grin by the tom. The striped cat stepped towards Rusty despite Bluestar warning him to back off.

"Oh? See, this cat's aggressive! How will we ever get a city cat to follow our rules?!" He jeered, turning to the crowd. Rusty felt his blood boil in rage. He crouched, ready to leap. There was a pause, and then the tom cackled, "We can't! This cat will stomp all over our rules and traditions! He'll-"

While the tom's back was turned, Rusty jumped onto him, digging his teeth into the tom's scruff when he yowled loudly and tried to shake him off. Rusty swiped at his ear, ripping off a long piece of flesh before he was bucked off of his back. The tom whirled around, snarling. The crowd backed away to give them space to fight.

With a long battle cry, Longtail bolted towards Rusty, who was promptly bowled over by the bigger tom's weight. The tom landed several blows on his opponent's head, which made the ginger kitten yowl in agony. Rusty, in a fit a blind panic, kicked the tom off of him in the stomach, making the tom stumble off and wheeze. Rusty leapt to his paws and growled, but when intersecting from attacking again when Bluestar leapt from the Highrock in-between him and Longtail.

"B...Bluestar!" The striped tom wheezed, "Did you... see that? He's dangerous-!"

"You were the one provoking him to fight, Longtail." Bluestar meowed calmly. Longtail's ears flattened as he stood quickly.

"But-"

"Longtail, go to Spottedleaf to get your injuries fixed. Once she gives you the clear, you can bring any problems you have to me." The gray molly said firmly. Longtail glared at her for a moment, and then huffed, turning around and heading to a petite calico. Bluestar turned back to the crowd before her.

"Anyone else who has a problem with Rusty can bring it to me, but I will not tolerate provoking fights with him.". She then turned to Rusty and asked, "Rusty, would you like to change your name? Your name will be given a suffix during your graduation, but your can choose to keep your original name."

Rusty shook his head in response. Bluestar nodded and looked out in the crowd for a few moments, as if she was looking for something.

"Mousefur." Bluestar meowed, making the brown molly perk in surprise at being called, "You were the first cat to suggest we bring Rusty back. You have learned many things from your father, Fuzzypelt, like bravery and empathy. I expect you to pass this information as Rusty's mentor."

Mousefur gaped but quickly shut her jaw with a metallic clink, and hurried to where the leader and new apprentice stood. She leaned in towards Rusty and whispered, "Touch noses with me.". Rusty quickly followed her instructions. Bluestar smiled and turned back to the crowd.

"Meeting dismissed." She called out. However, when the cats started to disperse, a black apprentice with a white chest suddenly burst through the entrance, huffing and puffing as if he had been running for a long time.

Once he reached the crowd, he paused, catching his breath, and yowled in the clearing, "Redtail is dead!"


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to write an extended ending for the chapter.

The clan gasped in abject horror as the black apprentice in front of them shivered in fear. Rusty could even hear wails from a few cats in the crowd. He, however, was bewildered by the apprentice's sudden entrance, and turned to Graypaw.

"Who's that? And who's Redtail?" He inquired. Graypaw tore his gaze away from the black tom cat and turned to the ginger tom.

"Ravenpaw. He was on a patrol this morning with Tigerclaw and Redtail. Redtail was our deputy, meaning he's the second in command to Bluestar." He hurriedly explained. Rusty took a bit to let the information sink in, before flitting he gaze back over to the trembling black tom. The young cat drew in a shuddering breath before he explained:

"R-Redtail- he... a RiverClan patrol sh-showed up when we were marking the b-border!". The skinny tom stumbled a bit, but continued on: "He... Redtail told me to run back f-for reinforcements, when he... Oakheart pounced on him! And then... and-". The ebony colored apprentice named Ravenpaw gave one last shiver before his eyes rolled into his head, and he flopped over. Rusty felt the wave of shock coming off of the other cats around him. A small brown molly dashed to where the tom lay, wailing. A petite calico, Spottedleaf if Rusty remembered correctly, followed close behind, whispering soothing words and placing her fluffy tail on the molly's back. The brown molly eventually stepped away, and Spottedleaf grabbed the apprentice's scruff in her jaws and ran the medicine den, where a shocked Longtail stared with a gaping mouth.

Suddenly, there was a rustle from the entrance, and out stepped the largest cat Rusty had ever seen in his life. This cat was a brown tom with pitch black stripes and huge, imposing figure. His shoulders were broad and his bore scars of many battles all over his body. In his mouth, he was dragging a smaller white tom with ginger ears and tail on the ground, his mouth bleeding and eyes glazed with the fogginess of death. As soon as the tom reached the crowd, several cats burst from the crowd, crying out and wailing in grief. A gray tortoiseshell molly, a pale brown tom that looked a lot like Mousefur, a cream colored molly, a dusty brown tabby tom, a gray molly, and Spottedleaf all surrounded the body as soon as the massive tom laid it on the ground. Bluestar stepped froward in front of the tabby tom, a dazed look in her eyes.

"Tigerclaw, what happened?!" She meowed, eyes wide. The large tom bent his head in what seemed to be sorrow.

"We were ambushed. A RiverClan patrol attacked us as soon as we finished marking the border. I tried to save Redtail, but he and Oakheart were crushed by falling rocks... It was too late when I managed to dig them out...". The large tom winced at the memory, closing his eyes. Bluestar cast a glance back down at her former deputy, tears welling but refusing to drop. She cleared her throat.

"In honor of Redtail's memory, I must appoint a new deputy..." She announced into the clearing, before she scanned the crowd once more, her icy eyes sharp and piercing. Finally, her gaze settled on Lionheart.

"Lionheart will be the deputy of ThunderClan." Bluestar said, much to the crowd's delight. Many cats were cheering and whooping, and Graypaw even ran over to Lionheart excitedly chatter with him. Rusty flicked an ear in confusion once the cats seemed to go back to mourning, most of them gathered in a line and whispering things into Redtail's fur.

As Graypaw trotted back over, Rusty flicked his tail towards the cat.

"What are they doing?" Rusty questioned. Graypaw shook his head.

"No, but the whole clan has a duty to pay respects to a fallen clanmate. Only those closest to Redtail can stand vigil." Graypaw responded. Rusty hummed in acknowledgement.

The whole clan has to pay respects, hmm? While Rusty never met Redtail, he was part of the clan now. Besides, he could probably just say he must have been a great deputy or something.

Yeah, he could do this.

Rusty left Graypaw's side and entered the line, biting his lower lip in nervousness. Would they allow him to say something? Surely they would! As the line moved closer and closer to Redtail's corpse, the ginger tom kit felt something like dread building in his gut. He didn't want to see another dead body, but... how bad could it be?

When he stepped forward, face to face with the corpse of the ginger and white tom, seeing all his injuries, his bleeding mouth, his broken in ribs, it was... a lot for him to handle. Redtail's body kept being replaced with an image of Smudge, the images flickering between the two. Rusty's breath caught in his throat, his head became dizzy, and he swayed on his feet. He let out loud cry of anguish as Smudge's death replayed in his head over and over again.

He couldn't bear to see another body so soon. Not here, not now.

Suddenly however, a fluffy tail and a soft, gentle voice was guiding him away from the body, the molly beside him whispering soothing words into his ear. Rusty felt the stone beneath his paws change from warm to cold, and when he opened his eyes, he was in a cave. The calico beside him, Spottedleaf, urged him to lay down in a nest.

The ginger tom kit shuddered. Why did he react so badly to a body? He saw plenty before, and probably wouldn't stop seeing them in the forest! Rusty hung his head in shame.

"What's wrong with him?" Longtail spoke up from the back of the cave. Spottedleaf didn't even turn to him before responded, grabbing a bundle of leaves from a niche and a swath of cobwebs.

"If I remember correctly, Bluestar mentioned that Rusty saw his friend be killed in front of him. I wouldn't be surprised if he has trauma from that." She meowed before chewing the leaves and spitting them out.

Longtail scoffed as Spottedleaf wrapped Rusty's wounds. The young tom hissed when the poultice was applied, the herbs stinging against the scratches.

"So? We see dead clanmates all the time! What's the use of a cat who freaks out every time he a sees a body?" The tabby tom declared. Rusty growled under his breath, but stopped when Spottedleaf dropped a bundle of plants at his paws. The tom kit sniffed at them before wrinkling his, then craned his head to look at the medicine cat, who was glaring at Longtail.

"Plenty of cats have conditions like this." Spottedleaf responded calmly, even as her eyes narrowed, "It occurs usually after a traumatic event, and most of us medicine cats call it Shell-Shock. But just because they avoid the trauma doesn't mean they are lesser than your or any other warrior."

Longtail gave a hearty chuckle at this.

"Yeah, and I'm sure most of those medicine cats are from other clans, right? We ThunderClanners are strong!" He snorted. In response, Spottedleaf sat, her tail wrapping around her paws.

"Bluestar has shell-shock." Spottedleaf responded simply, much to Longtail's surprise, "It's gotten better over the years, but she often tells me she can't go near the road at the ShadowClan border without feeling sick."

"But-"

"No buts." Spottedleaf interrupted sternly as she stood. "If a cat with shell shock can become our leader for so many moons, leading us through many seasons, then I have no doubt this kit can't grow up to be a great cat."

Longtail opened his jaw again, but closed it quickly. He grumbled under his breath, but then asked, "So when can I get out of here? I'm not exactly looking forward to missing my duties..."

Spottedleaf chuckled slightly at his words.

"Oh alright. You're going to be fine, Longtail. Just take it easy on your shoulder for a few days and you should be fine. And don't pick at the wrapping either." She finally replied. "But I'm sure Bluestar would want to speak to you once you get out"

"Yeah yeah, don't get me started..." Longtail grumbled, standing up and stalking away, brushing shoulders with Graypaw.

The gray apprentice looked confused as he stared at Rusty. Spottedleaf flicked her tail to signal for him to come closer. He shuffled forward slowly, and with one last glance at Rusty, he asked his question:

"So what's up with him?" The gray tabby tom inquired innocently, "He just _looked_ at Redtail and then started freaking out!"

Spottedleaf sighed.

"He has a condition called Shell-Shock, Graypaw." Spottedleaf answered tiredly. Rusty hung his head in embarrassment as Graypaw cast a worried glance in his direction.

"Isn't that... y'know, when a cat goes through some heavy shit? And don't they act all weird too?" Graypaw asked. Spottedleaf noticeably perked at this.

"My, I haven't met apprentices your age who know of Shell Shock." Spottedleaf murmured. She flicked her tail in Rusty's direction.

"Yes, Shell Shock is when a cat experiences a traumatic event, causing them to retain the memories. They often relive it, or feel scared that it'll happen again. Some even give up hope they can live normally." Spottedleaf stated matter-of-factly. She then sighed and drooped.

"Some cats even lose their minds to the trauma, and some... well, they take their own lives..."

Graypaw's eyes widened at that, but he didn't say anything. Spottedleaf placed a paw on his shoulder and said simply, "Graypaw, if you don't mind, I'd like for you to watch Rusty for me. Don't shadow, just make sure to check up on him every so often and report back to me if you spot any strange behavior."

"I don't need a body guard!" Rusty protested from his nest, not used to being fussed over like this, his faces hot and ears flattened. Spottedleaf cast a stoic glance at him.

"It's just for your safety, Rusty." She stated. Graypaw nodded vigoriously.

"Yeah! I'll do the best I can!" Graypaw declared, clearly more enthusiastic than Rusty. The ginger tom groaned.

"Alright, just... don't smother me, okay?" He finally relented. Graypaw beamed at the former street cat.

"Don't worry, we're gonna have fun together!" He loudly declared, making Rusty flinch at the sheer volume.

"Grrreat..." Rusty huffed. He turned to Spottedleaf, hope in his eyes as he said, "When can I leave?"

Spottedleaf's whiskers twitched in amusement at the young tom's eagerness to get out. She said, "You can walk around the camp, but you mustn't train until I give you the clear.". Spottedleaf then padded forward, ducking her head out of the medicine den. She stood there for a few moments before turning back to the two young toms.

"Graypaw," Spottedleaf meowed, "Why don't you show Firepaw around camp? The elders are taking Redtail's body out.". At this, the gray tabby tom perked up, tail swishing with excitement. He nodded quickly, a bright grin crossing his features.

"Sure!" He agreed, nudging Rusty to his paws. When the ginger tom cat sighed, Graypaw quickly said, "Come on, it'll be fun! I'll show you to the other apprentices! Ooh, and Rosetail if we have the time!"

Firepaw supposed he should at least thank the tom for agreeing. He didn't what to come off as an asshole to the very clan that took him in! As the two young toms left the medicine cat, the ginger tom smiled wearily.

"Thanks.". When Graypaw looked at him quizzically, Rusty followed that up with, "For showing me around camp, I mean."

Graypaw smiled brightly and replied, "No problem! Now come on, last one to the freshkill pile is a rotten mouse!". Rusty nodded and followed the gray tabby tom.

The ThunderClan clan camp looked blood red in the fading dusk light. The trees were dark and imposing against the sky, branches with growing leaves reaching like claws scraping against the horizon. The over-hanging branches provided shade for the camp, dappled the ground with a dark blue. The scents of the wild blew into camp on a chilly, breeze, making Rusty shiver. Graypaw looked at him in sympathy. 

"Yeah, it gets pretty cold when Spring just begins." He chuckled, shortly before perking in excitement. "Ooh, there's Rosetail!". The gray tabby tom took off as soon as the words left his mouth, leaving his companion to roll his eyes, chuckle, and chase after him.

The gray tabby apprentice led the ginger tom to a rather large creamy molly with unusually bright amber eyes. She was sitting by a pile of dead rodents and birds, chewing a bit of vole meat. The molly smiled warmly, eyes scrunched.

"Salutations to you, Graypaw." She meowed, "Is that the newcomer with you?"

"Yep!" Graypaw nodded quickly, "I think we're gonna become great friends!". Rusty smiled, rolling his eyes half-heartedly.

"I'm sure we will once you annoy me to death." He joked. Graypaw laughed and shouldered him roughly, laughing again when the ginger tom stumbled. The molly smiled again and nodded.

"That's very nice, Graypaw. I'm happy you made a friend." She said. She then stood up, stretching and yawning and grabbed the remains of her prey in her teeth, before telling him in a muffled voice, "I think I'll retire for the night. I'll have to ask you more about your friend once you get back from training.". Before she left, however, she said over her shoulder, "And for your friend, welcome to ThunderClan!"

Rusty breathed a sigh of relief, a smile crossing his face. Good thing there were a few cats who liked him.

Before they could move on, however, Mousefur approached them, her expression guarded.

"Rusty." She greeted, "I know you won't be able to train for a while. I don't want you to fall behind though. I'll teach you clan traditions, about the other clans, and the warrior code in the meantime. It shouldn't be hard; just remember it and you should do fine."

Before Rusty could ask what the heck a warrior code was, the molly padded into a den near a den where milk scent was prominent. Graypaw shrugged.

"Well, I guess I'll show you the rest of the camp!" He said.

* * *

By the time Graypaw was finished with his tour, most of the cats were heading to bed. Judging by the moon's position, it was nearly midnight. Graypaw had introduced him to Tigerclaw and Lionheart, two senior warriors of the clan, and Frostfur, a molly who had just given birth to four kits. He had shown the ginger tabby tom everything in camp, from the leader's den to the warriors den to the dirtplace. Rusty was exhausted, but still kept up a friendly appearance. He was relieved when Graypaw finally said he'd show Rusty where the apprentices sleep.

"How many apprentices are there?" Rusty asked, tail drooping and eye lids feeling like cinderblocks.

"Eh, not as much as usual." Graypaw sighed, "Just you, me, Ravenpaw, Sandpaw, and Dustpaw."

Rusty didn't care either way. He just wanted to sleep. 

The apprentices den was fairly big, probably due to them having more apprentices, if Graypaw's words were anything to go by. The two toms slipped through the fern tunnel entrance easily, only being faced with a small log in the way. Graypaw guided Rusty to an empty nest near the said tom in question, telling him goodnight. Rusty thanked him wearily and closed his eyes, grateful to rest. He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep quickly.


End file.
